


Stolen Happiness

by EternallyEC



Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: F/F, shameless fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-29
Updated: 2019-11-29
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:35:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21609925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EternallyEC/pseuds/EternallyEC
Summary: The knock on Shaw’s door at 3 AM couldn’t have been any more ill-timed or annoying if it had tried, Shaw having fallen into bed barely forty-five minutes before after a particularly difficult number and almost forty-eight hours straight with no sleep. As she angrily opened the door to scowl at the tall woman on the other side, she couldn’t help but think that the same thing could have been said about Root’s presence in her life in general.
Relationships: Root/Sameen Shaw
Comments: 3
Kudos: 131





	Stolen Happiness

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! Consider this my thank you for all of the lovely, amazing reviews you've all been leaving me! I love reading them all and you make me want to keep writing! (And also, here's some fluff to make up for all the angst lately!)

The knock on Shaw’s door at 3 AM couldn’t have been any more ill-timed or annoying if it had tried, Shaw having fallen into bed barely forty-five minutes before after a particularly difficult number and after almost forty-eight hours straight with no sleep. As she angrily opened the door to scowl at the tall woman on the other side, she couldn’t help but think that the same thing could have been said about Root’s presence in her life in general.

“What the hell do you want, Root?” she grumbled, folding her arms across her chest as she glared at her.

“Hello, Shaw,” Root purred, but Shaw noted there was something different about it. Root’s confidence, usually unwavering seemed to be flickering and there was a flicker of something in her eyes for just a second before she could hide it.

If Shaw didn’t know any better, she would have called it fear—but that was ridiculous. Root had always been recklessly fearless and had only grown worse with an all-seeing AI constantly in her ear, what the hell could make her scared now?

“Why are you here, Root?” she asked, annoyed at herself for the new softness in her tone as she found herself unable to stop thinking about that flash of fear.

“Well, Sameen, I’m in a bit of a… situation and I need someplace to stay,” she smirked. “Can I come in?”

Shaw frowned, having moved aside to allow her entrance already and noting that Root hadn’t seemed to notice. She cursed herself when she allowed herself to finally look at Root, _really_ look, and noticed her unfocused eyes and the way she seemed to be staring through Shaw instead of at her for once.

“Root, are you fucking blind?”

x x x

Root huffed as she stood at the door of Shaw’s apartment, wishing there was a security camera nearby but she knew there wasn’t. “I’m fine,” she insisted, feeling uncharacteristically nervous as she shifted from foot to foot, delaying the inevitable for as long as she could.

“ _Primary Asset Shaw will assist,”_ the Machine insisted in her ear and Root sighed, knowing there was no use in further arguing.

She knocked, painting a perky smile on her face when she could hear movement on the other side of the door.

“What the hell do you want, Root?”

Root smirked; she could practically _hear_ Sameen’s glare and she felt a little safer already, not that she’d ever admit that to Shaw. “Hello, Shaw,” she purred but her heart wasn’t in it and when she heard a sudden noise coming from down the hallway, it was all she could do not to jump and she could only hope she hadn’t given herself away.

“Why are you here, Root?” Shaw asked again but this time, there was a softness to her tone that definitely hadn’t been there before. Unsettled, it took her a moment to recover before she replied, keeping her words deliberately vague.

She certainly wasn’t expecting it when Shaw blurted out, “Root, are you fucking blind?” and she sighed, crossing her arms over her chest as her lower lip jutted out in a pout.

“It’s only temporary, Sam,” she told her, jumping a little when she felt warm fingers wrap around her arm. She relaxed again immediately at the angle, immediately recognizing that it was Shaw leading her into the apartment. Her pride flared a bit but she brushed it off, knowing that it was _Shaw_ and she didn’t have to be anyone but herself with her.

“What the fuck happened, Root?” Shaw asked as she shut the door and led Root over to the couch. “Sit,” she ordered, letting go of her arm but keeping a hand hovering nearby in case she needed help. It was purely clinical, she told herself; it had nothing to do with how unsettled she was by the idea of a helpless Root.

“I just had a little bump to the head, Sameen, it’s fine,” Root smiled in the direction she thought Shaw was. “I was already checked out,” she protested, wincing at the feel of Shaw prodding at the injury.

“Shut up, Root,” Shaw grumbled, continuing her examination of the wound before moving to kneel in front of Root. Luckily, she had long ago stashed first-aid kits in every room in the house so it had been a matter of seconds for her to pull out a pair of gloves to inspect Root’s head and now she reached into the box to pull out a penlight. Shining it in Root’s eyes, she frowned but felt strangely better as she replaced the tools and put the kit away.

“How did you even get over here?” Shaw asked incredulously, collapsing on the couch beside her. “No, wait,” she said, holding up her hand and realizing a second too late that Root couldn’t see it. “Don’t tell me that the Machine was your seeing eye dog or whatever.”

Root laughed at that and rolled her eyes. “She got me a cab from the hospital and guided me through the building,” she told her, giving her a somehow even worse version of her usual attempt to wink and trying to play off how afraid she was now that she was so vulnerable.

Shaw saw right through her and rolled her eyes, reaching out to put her hand on Root’s knee. “You’re staying the hell here until your sight returns, you got that? I don’t care what your robot overlord has to say about it.”

She smiled, thoroughly touched by her words and the touch but knowing better than to mention it. Much like everything between them, it would remain unremarked upon because she would always take as much as Shaw was willing to give but the woman was like a feral cat, almost. There was only so far she could be pushed before she’d attack and then retreat, undoing any progress you’d made and adding weeks onto the time before she’d so much as let you approach again.

Luckily, Root had always loved feral cats, seeing something of herself in them and she’d always been good with them. She knew exactly how far to push before backing off and how much she should let them control and again, Sameen was no different.

“She agrees with you, Sam,” she told her with a chuckle, returning to the conversation at hand. “That’s why she sent me here.”

“Good,” Shaw nodded, and Root’s smile widened at the satisfaction she heard in her tone. “Now I’m going back to sleep but the couch is yours. I’ll bring you a pillow and blanket.”

She turned to walk away but something made her turn back around and Root’s face made her flinch. Now she knew for sure that she hadn’t imagined the flicker of fear in Root’s eyes at the door as she saw the obvious written all over Root’s face and she sighed, walking back over.

“Come on,” she said gruffly, pulling Root’s hand into hers and guiding her to her feet. “Don’t say a word,” she said as threateningly as possible when Root’s grin reached impossible proportions and she used the contact to shamelessly snake her arm around Shaw’s waist and snuggle into her side.

Shaw bit back a groan and tried to focus on the walk to the bedroom and not how warm and _right_ Root felt tucked into her side or the way she would shoot anyone who so much as looked at Root funny right now.

Root, to her credit, remained quiet even as Shaw helped her change into a pair of pajamas that Root had left in her bedroom drawer—and _no_ , Shaw absolutely wasn’t going to think about that or what it meant, nope—and got her into bed.

Climbing in on the other side of her, Shaw sighed as she saw the first hints of the sun starting to rise and knew she wasn’t going to get much sleep.

“Shaw?” Root’s whisper broke through her thoughts and Shaw automatically reached out to touch Root’s cheek to let her know she was there, on her side facing Root who was also on her side. “Thank you,” she said, so softly that Shaw almost thought she’d imagined it at first.

She swallowed and let her hand drift down to rest on Root’s hip, enjoying her warmth. “I’ve got you,” she said softly, giving her hip a squeeze. “Now go to sleep. The doctor did an alright job but you still suffered a traumatic brain injury. You need rest.”

Root’s face lit up and Shaw had to look away from how much emotion was in her eyes, feeling a strange restlessness roiling in her belly.

“I love it when you play doctor,” Root whispered, making Shaw roll her eyes and thankfully breaking the strange moment between them that she didn’t know how to deal with.

“Go to sleep, Root,” Shaw grumbled, thankful for the normalcy—or, well, _their_ version of it, anyway—when Root giggled and pressed her ice-cold feet against Shaw’s legs and Shaw pinched her side in retaliation. They fell asleep quickly after that and if Shaw woke up first and found Root completely on her side of the bed, wrapped in her arms and her head on Shaw’s chest?

Well, Shaw could give her that much for now, she thought, watching Root sleep in her arms with a surprising lack of discomfort. After all, Root had never asked her for more than she could give and she could give her this comfort. Although Shaw didn't understand fear, she _did_ understand what it meant and she couldn't imagine being blind with the lives they lived. 

A surge of protectiveness shot through her at the thought and she glanced over at her phone indecisively for a moment before managing to grab it with the hand that wasn't full of Root. Dialing Finch's number, she kept her voice lower than usual when he answered. 

"Can't make it today, Finch." 

"But Ms. Shaw, we've just received a number and Mr. Reese could really do with your help," Finch replied, his voice reproachful and Shaw rolled her eyes. 

"He'll have to do it alone today, Finch. I have things to take care of," she told him in annoyance, ending the call and tossing the phone on the floor once she'd powered it off. 

Root, having woken moments earlier, had to bite her lip to keep from smiling and giving herself away.

Suddenly, she almost wanted to thank the perp who had hit her over the head and had given her this strange bubble of peace with Sameen. She knew that it would burst in a day or two or however long it took her vision to return and she wouldn't have it any other way, knowing she and Sameen would grow restless by then and be glad to get back in the field...

But for now, she was in Shaw's arms and she was going to enjoy every moment of happiness that she could wring from the rare break, stolen happiness that she knew she didn't deserve but was too selfish to ever give up. 

"Root?"

Root glanced up towards the sound of Shaw's voice with a sheepish look as she realized she must have lost control of her face during her thinking and Shaw definitely knew she was awake now. "Morning, sweetie," she cooed, leaning up to kiss Shaw and being a little surprised when she let her. (Shaw more than let her; Root's lips were nowhere near her own when she took pity on her and moved to intercept.) 

"Root, how long have you been awake?" 

"Long enough to hear that you have things to take care of today," Root smirked, owning up to her eavesdropping. "I hope you meant that in more than just the clinical sense, Sameen," she purred, packing as much innuendo into the sentence as she could. 

"Goddamn it, Root," Shaw grumbled, but Root could hear the smile in her voice and she marveled again at her own little pocket of stolen happiness. 

~FIN

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! I was out earlier when I suddenly imagined Shaw taking Root home after a mission that had left her blinded but it evolved into this when I realized I really didn't want to write exactly how she ended up with that injury. I love Shaw in doctor mode and I love it even more when she's protective and having a vulnerable Root to bring all of that out in spades was just too much fun to pass up! 
> 
> I also wanted to say that I have a lot of ideas coming up. I've got about two series ideas for these murder nerds that I will be completing before posting so that I won't leave anyone hanging! I also have a fluffy, Christmas one-shot that is mostly written and just needs more content added to it. I also have a fic coming up that will be posted after Christmas because it's for Shoot Secret Santa! 
> 
> Suffice to say, Root is basically my muse now and I have no intention of stopping writing for these two amazing characters anytime soon. Thank you for all your kind words and the kudos! They keep me writing and make me so happy whenever I get them!


End file.
